The growing of mushrooms includes various phases which utilize compost to facilitate the mushroom growth in mushroom houses. Various types of mushroom houses are known. A typical, mushroom house might include side by side sets of vertically spaced mushroom beds. Manual labor is required to aid in applying the compost to the mushroom beds in a proper manner. It would be desirable if mushroom compost could be compacted and applied in an efficient and cost saving manner.
An object of this invention is to provide a mushroom compost compacting assembly which could be used in mushroom houses.
A further object of this invention is to provide such an assembly wherein the compost is compacted and fed into the mushroom beds in an efficient and cost savings manner.
In accordance with this invention a mushroom compost compacting assembly includes a feed hopper unit, a mixer unit, a conveyor unit and a compacter unit. All of these units are separate and distinct from each other, but detachably connected together in such a manner that there is flow communication from the feed hopper unit to the mixer unit and then from the mixer unit to both the conveyor unit and the compactor unit. The conveyor unit and compactor unit include discharge structure so that the compost fed into the assembly can be discharged to a mushroom bed.
The mixer unit may include a pair of parallel shafts having inclined tines for spreading the compost fed from the hopper unit. Part of the compost would then drop into the conveyor unit and later be discharged directly on a bed. Another part of the compost would be fed to the compactor unit. The compactor unit includes a plurality of drums each of which has longitudinal ridges spaced about its periphery for compacting the compost. The compacted compost is then fed into the bed on top of the compost fed by the conveyor unit.
In a preferred practice of the invention the compost is supplied to the compacting assembly from a conveyor located outside of the mushroom house directly to an opening in the, roof of the mushroom house. The compost is then discharged through the roof opening into a chute which communicates with the feed hopper unit. The compost compacting assembly is preferably connected to a lifting unit which is capable of shifting, lifting and lowering the assembly so that the assembly may be selectively disposed adjacent to different mushroom growing beds.